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Violet
Violet Violet is an intelligent inventor whose wits and skills have saved her and her siblings countless times from death. Anyone who knew Violet well could tell she was thinking hard because her long hair was tied up in a ribbon to keep it out of her eyes (see; Violet's Hair Ribbon). Violet had a real knack for inventing and building strange devices, so her brain was often filled with images of pulleys, levers, and gears, and she never wanted to be distracted by something as trivial as her hair, allowing her to keep focus. Violet is possibly the greatest inventor of her time. Before the demise of her parents, she liked to visit the Verne Invention Museum and its many exhibits, including one of the mechanical demonstrations that inspired her to be an inventor when she was just two years old. When Violet was five years old, she won her first invention contest with an automatic rolling pin, which she made using a window shade and six pairs of roller skates. The judge praised Violet, saying she could invent anything with both her hands tied behind her back. When Violet was around ten, she invented a new kind of pencil sharpener. Violet built a telephone from scratch. Violet also invented a device to soothe her sister's teething pains. Her favorite inventor is Nikola Tesla. Although Violet is incredibly intelligent, there are many things Violet does not know, especially things modern 14-15 years olds would know about, so Klaus has to explain to her what many things are due to his passion for reading. This is not Violet's fault and is simply due to the series being set in an era where information access is more limited. For example, in the book The Wide Window, Violet does not know what leeches are, likely due to never needing to know about them. Later, Klaus mentions there's "something funny" about Josephine's suicide note, but Violet misinterprets this as "humorous" instead of "odd" and tries to dismiss Klaus' point about a secret message in the letter (in the live-action versions, Violet catches on faster). Despite such occurrences, Violet is still very eager to learn about the world and is willing to admit when she does not know much about something. After her parents' deaths, Violet takes the lead in the family. Though she often collaborates with Klaus, she feels the weight of being the oldest sibling. Her parents said to her when Klaus was born, and again when they brought Sunny home from Pincus Hospital, "You are the eldest Baudelaire child, and as the eldest, it will always be your responsibility to look after your younger siblings. Promise us that you will always watch out for them and make sure they don't get into trouble." This is why she invents the grappling hook to free Sunny from the tower; she risks her safety and well-being to help her siblings and honor the promise she made her parents to always keep her siblings away from harm. This promise is always mentioned in all thirteen books. Violet has a backbone, and can be stern and have an attitude at times, especially when angered. For example, when Violet complains to Mr. Poe about how Count Olaf slapped Klaus' face and Mr. Poe could not care less, Mr. Poe says, "Now, I hate to usher you out posthaste, but I have very much work to do. Posthaste means—" "—means you'll do nothing to help us," Violet finished for him, shaking with frustration. When Aunt Josephine threatened to give her and her siblings to Count Olaf, Violet told her, "You're supposed to be caring for us, not putting us up for grabs!" When Mr. Poe ordered her to come with him to the police station at the end of The Grim Grotto, Violet replied, "No," due to all the trouble he caused them, and walked away.9 She can also be very rebellious when faced with corrupt authority figures, often calling them out and refusing to go along with it, such as when she removed her blindfold during the trial in the TV series, saying, "Maybe this court deserves contempt." In the film, she interrupts Olaf just to call him "pure evil."